This chapter provides an overview of the political economic forces that created a precarious situation for one of the main characters of the book, Ramón García. It discusses how migrants from the ...
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This chapter provides an overview of the political economic forces that created a precarious situation for one of the main characters of the book, Ramón García. It discusses how migrants from the interior of Mexico came to relocate to Tijuana and what happened once they encountered the economic opportunities present in the borderlands. The chapter also discusses the migration and labor-market strategies that people use and the social networks that people form in the borderlands to help to construct their livelihood options. It includes an examination of the broader theoretical issues of border regulation and national status, as exemplified by official documentation, such as passports.Less

Crafting Border Livelihoods

Sergio Chávez

Published in print: 2016-04-01

This chapter provides an overview of the political economic forces that created a precarious situation for one of the main characters of the book, Ramón García. It discusses how migrants from the interior of Mexico came to relocate to Tijuana and what happened once they encountered the economic opportunities present in the borderlands. The chapter also discusses the migration and labor-market strategies that people use and the social networks that people form in the borderlands to help to construct their livelihood options. It includes an examination of the broader theoretical issues of border regulation and national status, as exemplified by official documentation, such as passports.

Based on observations and in-depth interviews, Border Lives tells the story of how diverse groups of individuals came to establish roots in Tijuana, beginning shortly after the termination of the ...
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Based on observations and in-depth interviews, Border Lives tells the story of how diverse groups of individuals came to establish roots in Tijuana, beginning shortly after the termination of the Bracero Program (1942–64) and ending in the present. It describes how these different groups of migrants and residents adapt to a dynamic borderlands economy and draw on the border as a resource to construct their livelihoods. The book details the consequences of border-enforcement and immigration restrictions over several decades, documenting the ways in which policies create precarious situations for those who cross the border and come in contact with them on a regular basis. The book shows how individuals have used the border as a resource in the past, and how current residents are forced to seek ways to access the opportunities that the border offers in the future. Yet for all of these border crossers—former, current, and future—the border itself figures significantly, not only in their livelihood strategy but also in their lifestyle, shaping their knowledge, action, and their relationships, controlling their time, and allowing them to convert US wages into a Mexican standard of living, without losing the social and cultural comforts of Tijuana-as-home.Less

Sergio Chávez

Published in print: 2016-04-01

Based on observations and in-depth interviews, Border Lives tells the story of how diverse groups of individuals came to establish roots in Tijuana, beginning shortly after the termination of the Bracero Program (1942–64) and ending in the present. It describes how these different groups of migrants and residents adapt to a dynamic borderlands economy and draw on the border as a resource to construct their livelihoods. The book details the consequences of border-enforcement and immigration restrictions over several decades, documenting the ways in which policies create precarious situations for those who cross the border and come in contact with them on a regular basis. The book shows how individuals have used the border as a resource in the past, and how current residents are forced to seek ways to access the opportunities that the border offers in the future. Yet for all of these border crossers—former, current, and future—the border itself figures significantly, not only in their livelihood strategy but also in their lifestyle, shaping their knowledge, action, and their relationships, controlling their time, and allowing them to convert US wages into a Mexican standard of living, without losing the social and cultural comforts of Tijuana-as-home.

This chapter documents how current border crossers obtained legal documents that allowed them to live in Mexico and cross the border to work in the United States at two different historical periods. ...
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This chapter documents how current border crossers obtained legal documents that allowed them to live in Mexico and cross the border to work in the United States at two different historical periods. It details the migration and labor-market strategies that one group of migrants and residents employed to obtain legal documents following the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986. With these documents in hand, this group was able to live in Mexico and work in San Diego. Modern-day crossers also use labor-market and social-network strategies to obtain Border Crossing Cards. These cards allow them to cross the border to shop and visit relatives in the United States but people use them in a variety of ways to generate income from the United States. The chapter argues that the daily crossing strategies of both groups help to construct a transborder economy.Less

Becoming a Border Commuter

Sergio Chávez

Published in print: 2016-04-01

This chapter documents how current border crossers obtained legal documents that allowed them to live in Mexico and cross the border to work in the United States at two different historical periods. It details the migration and labor-market strategies that one group of migrants and residents employed to obtain legal documents following the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986. With these documents in hand, this group was able to live in Mexico and work in San Diego. Modern-day crossers also use labor-market and social-network strategies to obtain Border Crossing Cards. These cards allow them to cross the border to shop and visit relatives in the United States but people use them in a variety of ways to generate income from the United States. The chapter argues that the daily crossing strategies of both groups help to construct a transborder economy.